First ride: Yamaha XSR700 review & Yamaha XSR700 Super 7 Jvb-moto!

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The headlight too is a compromise forced on the designers as a way of hiding the ignition and wiring and yet retaining the single headlamp, key to its heritage look. Personally I like the headlight, it's a bold statement and sets the XSR apart from its rivals.

If you're not entirely satisfied with the standard bike then the XSR comes with a parts and accessories catalogue already containing over 40 custom options. Yamaha even has an app to design your own bike in a 3D workshop. Expect Yamaha to be supporting and promoting some crazy yard built XSR's over the next year - you won't see a standard XSR at a major bike show in the next year without some custom chop parked beside it.

I think crucially, and this point will certainly be missed, the XSR isn't just another retro rehash. It isn't trying to mimic a predecessor in the way Triumph's Bonneville does, it is something new. It takes inspiration from retro bikes but the engine, frame and design philosophy are completely modern. For example, the engine as a stressed member of the frame helps make the XSR 40kg lighter than the Bonneville. Guess which is more fun to ride?

For me, there's something disingenuous about simply ripping off a historic model, it's fake and fancy dress. I like the way the XSR looks, particularly in the matte silver option. Your only other colour choice is British racing green, which just felt a bit too predictable and clumsily retro - why not yellow Speedblocks? (SPOILER ALERT) I'll be waiting until the inevitable Kenny Roberts promoted flat-tracker variant before I get my wish.

Yamaha promises a tank range of just over 190 miles but I rode for 125 miles and the 14 litre tank was almost dry. It's true, the ride crossed a couple of mountains but the heavy rain certainly kept my throttle steady and I'd have expected a slightly better economy than 40.5mpg. 

So why splash out an extra £500 on an XSR instead of an MT07? Other than a more comfortable riding position and a taller seat height you'd have a job justifying your purchase. But the answer is simple really, because you think it looks cooler... and it probably does.

More crucially, why would you spend an extra £1,000 on a base model Scrambler (and another £100 on top of that if you want it in yellow... which of course you do)? I've ridden both bikes recently and the smart money is on the XSR. It has Yamaha's reputation for reliability behind it, it handles, stops and goes as well, if not better, than the Scrambler. It's more comfortable. There is a lot of weight tipping the balance of judgment towards the XSR. So it's a no-brainer? Not quite.

Ducati has done an incredible job marketing the Scrambler. It hasn't just sold us a bike, it's sold a lifestyle and an image. Of course, the internet loves to laugh at the hipster Land of Joy and Ducati loves to laugh at the internet... because Ducati is laughing all the way to the bank, the last laugh.

Yamaha is trying to sprinkle this hipster magic fairy dust on the XSR, even launching a lifestyle brand called Faster Sons to complement its retro bike scene. Will it work? Well that remains to be seen but Yamaha's biggest problem is Ducati not only got there first but it did its marketing flawlessly. It's going to take more than a few washed out, lo-fi photoshoots of beautiful models who have clearly never replaced a spark plug to beat Ducati at its own game.

But... if you're capable of putting 'cool' aside (because this is a much harder to quantify substance than cash) then choose the XSR700. With the money you save you can spend it on actually living the carefree lifestyle the Land of Joy so espouses.

Model tested: Yamaha XSR700

Price: £6,249 on the road

Engine: 689cc parallel twin

Power: 75hp @ 9,000rpm

Torque: 68Nm @ 6,500rpm

Weight: 186kg (wet)

Frame: Diamond with engine as stressed member

Tank capacity: 14 litres

Seat height: 815mm

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Yamaha XSR700 Super 7 Jvb-moto!